Mumbai gangrape: 'My son should not be spared if found guilty'

Mumbai, Aug 26: The mother of Mohammaed Kasim Mohammad Hafiz Shaikh alias Bengali, one of the five accused of gangraping a 22-year-old photojournalist inside an abandoned factory in southern Mumbai on August 22 said on Sunday that if the victim identified her son as one of the culprits, then the latter should be aptly punished.

Chand Bi said she did not believe that her 21-year-old son was involved in such a heinous act. She said Kasim returned home late on Thursday and left soon after receiving a call, which she believed was made by the police. Chand Bi learned about her son's arrest on Saturday after he did not return home.

Chand Bi went to the Esplanade court premises on Sunday afternoon with her family members and relatives. She said Kasim had been implicated in the case for he knew the others who were arrested in the case.

However, she said he indeed Kasim was proved to be involved in the case, then he should face the punishment. She said having daughters, she could also understand the trauma a victim of such crime undergoes. She left the decision on the nature of punishment to the court.